Pretoria: Oscar Pistorius’s defence sought to show the double-amputee sprinter feels highly vulnerable and acted out of fear not anger when he shot dead his girlfriend. Pistorius has a “split personality”, defence lawyer Kenny Oldwadge told the court.
There are “two Oscars”, he said — a world-class athlete and a highly vulnerable individual with a serious disability. “Although he loathes to be pitied in any way, the hard truth is that he does not have lower legs,” said Derman, chief medical officer of the South African Paralympic Team at the London Olympic Games in 2012. “You have got a paradox,” he said. “Of an individual who is supremely able and an individual who is significantly disabled.” Derman, who has known Pistorius for six years, testified that the runner is conditioned to “react through auditory stimulus” a result of training to starter pistols fired at the beginning of athletic races.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
